SMU Underwood Law Library Week 4

Sep 9 & Sep 10 7:30-11:15 & Sep 11 12:00-4:00 (TOTAL: 33 HOURS)

This week was long but rewarding. I had the chance to meet with Tim Gallina, a reference librarian who is spearheading AI integration efforts with faculty and students, and it was fascinating to hear how these tools are beginning to shape legal research. I’m convinced they’ll become a staple in the field. My legal research class has also been a highlight; the cases feel like puzzles I get to solve, which I really enjoy, though I’m less enthusiastic about the fact that those puzzles carry real-world consequences. That tension has made me question whether law school is the right path, but it’s also opened my eyes to other possibilities. Working with a firm or county library to support legal research seems less intimidating than I first imagined, and while I still lean toward academia, I’m starting to see how I could find fulfillment in a variety of roles within this profession. I also was able to assist in the set up of an open house in the Rare Books room which was absolutely amazing to witness! I got to hold the oldest book (from the 15th century), the smallest book (on a set of French law), and the biggest book (on Italian statutes which had roots to ancient Rome). This was a treat to my Classics loving heart and I am so fortunate to be able to see it all!

The McKnight Rare Books Room. Pictured are some of the larger Italian tomes, the one on the 2nd to last shelf from the bottom in the middle is the biggest one referenced above.

Now for the archive. God bless Jane (the previous volunteer archivist), that woman has the handwriting and patience of a saint. Her handwritten notes are beautifully thorough but the amount of material is staggering. I attempted to type it all myself but it took me an hour to do a single shelf.

There’s over 190 shelves. Excuse the informality, but ain’t no way.

I spent all day Friday taking photos of the pages in the first binder (674 pages to be exact), and I’m trying to find an AI that can digitize the information so I can take the text file and work on programming the excel sheet. It was quite a long process to reach this realization but at least Lana Del Rey was there to keep me company. How funny that in my first week I was terrified of the legal jargon and reference questions and now I’m more afraid of being buried in a mountain of manilla folders and copy 2s. I’ll figure it out though, I’ll consult with some of my coworkers at Plano Public Library and see if any of them have any ideas. Worst case scenario I’ll just go back to hand typing, but I would like to streamline it so I can focus on the organization and arrangement.